WHS golf team wins two more
The tourney-bound Winthrop High golf team enjoyed a successful week, winning two more matches to improve to 11-6-1 on the season.
The Vikings celebrated Senior Day in appropriate fashion with a 40.5-31.5 victory over Lynn Classical this past week at the Winthrop Golf Club (WGC) at which the five members of the WHS Class of 2025, Dylan Sykes, Spencer Parco, Aidan Survilas, Mike Holgersen, and Colin Cifuni, were recognized for their contributions to the WHS gof program. Ryan Murphy, Nikita Rossi, and Louk Belghiti provided the main highlights in the victory, winning their matches in the top three positions. Senior Mike Holgerson contributed 2.5 points at the #4 spot, his first time ever playing that high in the lineup. Senior Spencer Parco contributed 2.5 points as well at #8. Aidan Survilas got his first career win at #7, winning 7-2. Dylan Sykes won as well on his Senior Night to complement his great senior campaign.
Colin Cifuni won his match, 5-4, taking the ninth hole with a great up-and-down from the trees. “I was happy the seniors got to play in this match and represent the team well,” said WHS head coach Jack Wallace.
“They worked very hard with assistant coach Kevin Adamson for this match and showed up great for it. “Huge thanks to assistant coach Adamson — he has been a tremendous help and is great with the players and all of them respect him,” Wallace added.
The Vikings took on Gloucester in a rematch this past Monday at the WGC and turned the tables on the visiting Fishermen, who had defeated Winthrop a few weeks ago, earning a 37.5-34.5 victory. “This match finished just as the darkness came in,” said Wallace.
“But the boys handled it well and were mentally tough.” The highlights for the Vikings came from sophomore Ryan Murphy at #1, who earned a tie, 4.5-4.5, with his Gloucester foe after being down early. Sophomore Paulie Ferrara won his match at #5, 6-3, and Max Dassau contributed three points. “These were huge points,” noted Wallace. Sophomore Tony Boradano won, 5-4, at #7, continuing his consistent golf. Senior Dylan Sykes contributed 3.5 points at #8 in his last home match as a Viking.
“This was a big match at the eight spot as these are important to winning close matches,” said Wallace. “Sophomore Louk Belghiti tied 4.5-4.5, so be on the lookout for him to make a splash at the state tournament.” Junior Captain Tomas Babine secured the victory with a 6-3 win at #4 .
“Tomas is a big reason for this year’s success and I am very proud of him,” said Wallce. “Nothing bothers him and he is a great leader.”
The Vikings hosted Manchester-Essex last Tuesday in a points match mixed with stroke play and came up short, 166-126. “This was the best team we have played all season,” said Wallace. “This was a tough match as we did not play our best golf.”
Eighth-grader Max Dassau, who will be the first-ever eighth-grader to compete for Winthrop in the upcoming state tournament, led the way with 25 points that featured a great chip-in on the first hole for a birdie. Other notables were Ryan Murphy with 20 points, Nikita Rossi with 24 points, and Louk Belghiti with 21 points.
“We will be looking forward to a rematch next year with Manchester,” said Wallace, whose Vikings were scheduled to wrap up their regular season yesterday (Wednesday) with a match against Marblehead at Tedesco Country Club. They then will compete in the state tournament at Stowe Acres next Tuesday.
The Northeastern Conference Open is set for next Thursday at Tedesco.
Viking boys soccer ties Stoneham, 1-1; hosts Maimonides tonite
The Winthrop High boys soccer team earned a 1-1 tie with non-league opponent Stoneham this past Saturday. Fabiano Alcala Rodriguez gave the Vikings a 1-0 lead that held up until the final three minutes when Stoneham notched the equalizer. “We had plenty of chances to add to our lead, but a mental error allowed Stoneham to tie the game,” said WHS head coach Phil Ronan.
This past Monday the Vikings took on Masconomet, the top team in the Northeastern Conference with an 8-2-2 record, and came up short by a score of 2-0. Winthrop, which changed its usual formation for the game, held Masco to a nil-nil deadlock through the first half, but a pair of penalty kicks for Masco after the intermission proved to be the difference. “Last year we lost to Masconomet by a score of 8-1,” noted Ronan. “We fought hard and had our chances.
The Masco coach was very complimentary to my team and their efforts.” Ronan and his crew, who are ranked 31st in the MIAA’s Division 4 power rankings (the top 32 teams automatically qualify for the tourney), are scheduled to host non-league opponent Maimonides this evening (Thursday) under the lights at Miller Field at 7:00. They will entertain Gloucester next Wednesday afternoon.
WHS volleyball tops Stoneham
The Winthrop High girls volleyball team earned a 3-2 victory at Stoneham this past Monday. “The team fought hard for all five sets,” said WHS head coach Jeremy Wein. “We got smoked in the fourth set, but we battled back to win that fifth set.” Wein and his crew were scheduled to host Saugus yesterday (Wednesday) and Danvers tomorrow (Friday).
“We lost Saugus in three sets in our first match, so we hope to see some progress this time,” said Wein. “Danvers is always a top-notch program, so we have our work cut out for us. But as always, we’ll fight hard no matter who is on the other side.”
WHS girls soccer hosts Excel Monday
The Winthrop High girls soccer team will host Excel Academy Monday morning at Miller Field.
The opening kick-off on the Miller turf is set for 10:00. In matches over the past two weeks, the Lady Vikings earned a 1-1 tie with Salem, a team to which Winthrop had dropped a 4-1 decision in their first meeting. “We played a much better game,” said WHS head coach Tracey Martucci.
“Senior captain Marwa Mimiouni scored our goal, unassisted. Seniors Melissa Cash and Emily Hoxhaj played great for us in the backfield.” In a 4-1 loss to Gloucester, Angela Coscia netted the Winthrop goal, assisted by Talia Martucci. “We will see them again next Wednesday, so I’m hoping we can split with them. It was definitely a winnable game.”
Last Thursday the Lady Vikings came up short to Boston Latin Academy, 3-1. Marwa Mimouni, assisted by Gabby Buonopane, scored the Lady Viking goal. “It was a game that could have gone either way,” said WHS head coach Tracey Martucci. “Our goalie, Tori Bates, played an outstanding game. She kept Latin’s scoring to a minimum for us. “
In a contest with a very talented and strong Masconomet team this past Monday, which is ranked #1 in the Division 2 power rankings, the Lady Vikings came up short by a score of 8-0. Winthrop also fell by a score of 7-0 to perennially-strong Saugus. “It’s a struggle for us to compete, being a small D-4 team, but my girls never give up and play right through no matter what the score,” said Martucci. The team’s Senior Night has been set for Monday, October 21.